Seed exploration in Meru Betiri National Park and its conservation in seed bank of Purwodadi Botanic Garden, East Java, Indonesia

Botanical exploration is a conservation action of collecting plants from the wild to be nurtured in nurseries or botanic gardens to protect threatened plant species from extinction. In November 2020, Purwodadi Botanical Gardens explored Meru Betiri National Park in Jember, East Java, to collect seeds of flowering plant species. This seed collection aimed to restock seed materials for Botanic Gardens Seed Bank to support reintroductions and study plants reproduction biology. The scientific information collected were fruit and seed morphological characters, seed sensitivity to drying, and germination rates. We recorded that 75 plant species exhibited phenological phenomena such as flowering and fruiting in the field. Among those plants, 22 species (20 genera, 11 families) produced seeds abundant enough to be collected for ex-situ stocks and experimental studies. The Casearia flavovirens were observed to be sensitive to drying and suspected to be having a recalcitrant seed storing behavior, while the others were assumed to have orthodox seeds. Seeds were collected from 3 types of plant habit, i.e., shrubs: 2 species, trees: 6 species, and herbaceous plants: 14 species, with varying size, shape, and weight. Each seed required specific techniques to extract from the fruits. Our findings were hoped to provide scientific information on seed ecology and reproduction biology of selected flora in Meru Betiri National Park.